Abstract
AimVegetarian diets are increasingly popular, particularly among young women. However, exclusion of animal products from the diet increases the risk of micronutrient deficiencies, which is particularly unfortunate during pregnancy and childhood. A person needs a substantial amount of nutritional knowledge to achieve a nutritionally complete vegetarian diet. We have tested nutritional knowledge among well-educated young vegetarians and omnivores.Subjects and methodsIn October 2018, medical students at the University of Bergen, Norway (N = 880), were invited to take an anonymous survey to test their nutritional knowledge concerning micronutrients in vegetarian diets.ResultsThe responses from the students (n = 394, 45%) were categorized according to diet: former or current vegetarians (24%) versus always omnivores (76%). Forty-five percent of the vegetarians and 28% of the omnivores did not consider it necessary to take supplements while following a vegetarian diet. Sixty-one percent of vegetarians and 38% of omnivores considered it possible to have a well-balanced vegan diet. Plant foods were wrongly considered to be a dietary source of vitamin B12 by 33% and of iodine by 20% of the students.ConclusionNutritional knowledge concerning vegetarian diets was not optimal among Norwegian medical students, even if they had ever followed a vegetarian diet. As vegetarian diets are popular among the younger generation and pose a risk of micronutrient deficiencies, this is a public health concern. Nutrition education should be improved in the population. A more extensive integration of nutritional training in the medical curriculum must be implemented so doctors can give adequate nutritional guidance.
Highlights
A mixed, balanced diet including both plant and animal foods has been the dominant nutritional regime in the Nordic countries (Helsedirektoratet 2011)
In 2017, there were a total of 3875 registered medical students in Norway, and 880 (23%) of them studied at the University of Bergen (UiB)
Almost one fourth of the students (n = 95/394, 24%) reported former or current use of a vegetarian or vegan diet, with a significant female dominance (28% of the women and 10% of the men, p < 0.001)
Summary
A mixed, balanced diet including both plant and animal foods has been the dominant nutritional regime in the Nordic countries (Helsedirektoratet 2011). Total elimination of animal products from the diet increases the risk of vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin A, zinc, selenium, calcium, iodine and iron deficiency (Davey et al 2003; Elorinne et al 2016; Schupbach et al 2017). These micronutrients are all essential for normal metabolic function, and deficiency is unfortunate during pregnancy, lactation and childhood (Cusick and Georgieff 2016; Keen et al 2003). Micronutrient deficiencies may have both short- and longterm outcomes for the offspring, and a balanced, diverse and
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